Matthew 15 17

Matthew 15:17 kjv

Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?

Matthew 15:17 nkjv

Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?

Matthew 15:17 niv

"Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body?

Matthew 15:17 esv

Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?

Matthew 15:17 nlt

"Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.

Matthew 15 verses

Matthew 15 17 Meaning

Matthew 15:17 clarifies that anything ingested through the mouth undergoes a purely physical digestive process, passing through the stomach and subsequently being expelled from the body. Jesus uses this undeniable biological fact to assert that external elements, particularly food, cannot spiritually or morally defile a person before God. This verse sets the stage for His profound teaching that true defilement originates not from what enters the body, but from the wicked thoughts and intentions that proceed from the heart.

Matthew 15 17 Context

Matthew 15:17 is part of a crucial teaching by Jesus following an encounter with Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem. These religious leaders challenged Jesus' disciples for breaking the tradition of the elders by not ritually washing their hands before eating (Mt 15:1-2). Jesus condemned their hypocrisy, citing Isaiah to show how they honored God with their lips but their hearts were far from Him, setting aside God's commands for their own traditions (Mt 15:3-9).

After rebuking the Pharisees, Jesus turned to the crowd and then privately to His disciples. He declared that "what goes into the mouth does not defile a person, but what comes out of the mouth—this defiles a person" (Mt 15:10-11). Confused, Peter asked Jesus to explain the parable (Mt 15:15). Jesus' explanation (Mt 15:16-20), including verse 17, is a direct refutation of the external, ritualistic purity emphasized by the Pharisees. He redirects the understanding of purity from mere dietary and hand-washing customs to the internal state of a person's heart, which is the true source of moral and spiritual defilement.

Matthew 15 17 Word analysis

• "Do you not understand" (οὐ νοεῖτε - ou noeite): The "ou" (not) makes this a rhetorical question expecting a "yes" answer, implying a rebuke or exasperated challenge to His disciples' lack of insight. "Noeite" is from noeo, meaning to perceive with the mind, comprehend, or grasp intellectually. Jesus indicates their failure to grasp a fundamental spiritual truth by overlooking a simple biological reality.
• "that whatever goes into" (ὅτι πᾶν τὸ εἰσπορευόμενον εἰς): "Pan" (pas) means "all" or "every kind of," emphasizing the universal application to any food or drink. "Eisporeuomenon" (eisporeuomai) means "that which enters or comes in," referring to the act of consumption. This highlights the entry point into the body.
• "the mouth" (τὸ στóμα - to stoma): The primary opening for ingestion.
• "passes into" (εἰς τὴν χωρεῖ - eis tēn chōrei): "Chōrei" (chōreo) means "it makes room, goes into, proceeds," describing the movement and assimilation.
• "the stomach" (κοιλίαν - koilian): From koilia, literally "belly" or "intestines," referring to the entire digestive tract where food is processed. This emphasizes the internal, physiological processing.
• "and is expelled" (καὶ εἰς τὸν ἀφεδρῶνα ἐκπορεύεται - kai eis ton aphedrōna ekporeuetai): "Aphedrōna" (aphedrōn) is a frank term for a latrine or a place of bodily discharge, signifying waste elimination. "Ekporeuetai" (ekporeuomai) means "it goes out, proceeds out, is discharged." Jesus uses unreservedly graphic language to emphasize that food, after processing, becomes mere biological waste, utterly distinct from anything that could touch the soul or conscience.

Words-group Analysis

• "whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled": This entire phrase is a stark, common-sense description of human digestion. Its significance lies in drawing a clear distinction between the physical process and the spiritual state. Jesus is pointing out that what is consumed, however ritually "unclean" it might be considered by human tradition, has a purely physical, transient journey within the body. It does not penetrate the heart or mind, the actual seat of moral and spiritual being. By emphasizing the final expulsion, Jesus demonstrates the material and temporary nature of food's interaction with the body, fundamentally challenging the notion that food could corrupt a person's relationship with God or inner purity.

Matthew 15 17 Bonus Section

This passage, particularly Matthew 15:17-20 and its parallel in Mark 7:14-23, is one of the clearest indications in the Gospels of Jesus' intention to redefine the very essence of ritual purity within the Mosaic Law, shifting emphasis from what one eats to how one lives from the heart. Mark’s Gospel (Mark 7:19b) explicitly notes that by saying this, Jesus "declared all foods clean" (katharizōn panta ta brōmata), though Matthew implies it more subtly through the logical argument. This radical statement, likely shocking to His Jewish audience, laid crucial groundwork for the New Covenant understanding of grace and inner transformation over external adherence to law. It served as a theological precedent for later apostolic decisions regarding gentile inclusion and dietary freedom (Acts 10, Romans 14), illustrating Jesus' authority to reinterpret and transcend long-standing traditions for the sake of true spiritual freedom.

Matthew 15 17 Commentary

Matthew 15:17 forms a crucial pivot in Jesus' discourse on defilement, explicitly dismantling the popular belief that external factors, especially food, could morally or spiritually contaminate an individual. By appealing to the undeniable physiological reality of digestion—that food enters, is processed, and ultimately expelled—Jesus renders the Pharisaical concern with ceremonial handwashing and specific dietary restrictions as spiritually irrelevant. He argues that material substances merely affect the physical body and have no bearing on a person's standing before God.

This verse anticipates the more detailed explanation that follows, where Jesus identifies the true source of defilement as evil thoughts, lusts, murders, and other vices that originate from within the corrupt human heart (Mt 15:18-20). It marks a profound reorientation of religious understanding from external ritual to internal character. This principle directly challenges the prevailing legalistic emphasis on outward conformity, calling believers to examine the motives and desires that truly define their purity in God's sight. This teaching became foundational for the early church's understanding that the ceremonial food laws of the Old Covenant were not binding for believers in Christ, as ultimate holiness comes from within, through a transformed heart, rather than from adherence to external regulations.